money conversions..ATM vs. american xpress? or other ideas?

hey all got a quick question, heading to the cannaibis cup and wondering what is gonna be the best method for exchanging currency? Thanks all, you all rock....18yrs of dreamin about to come true......heh, how many can say they got to live a dream?.......I hope alot

 

Inform your bank you will be using your ATM card in Europe. Have your daily limit raised temporarilly. You get the best exchange rate with your ATM card at the GeldAutomats in Holland. Travelers checks are passe.

sp

 

I agree.
Trouble with my bank (UK based that is), they add a small handling fee for every
transaction made abroad. Some banks do it for free some don't. So rather than
keep drawing out small amounts here and there over your stay, it's better to draw
out larger amounts, otherwise all those handling fees soon mount up.
Check if your bank charges or not.

 

i recommend the atm thing....but i also recommend bringing a second atm card or other way to get money.

i alerted my bank before vacation and still ran into troubles that took over a day to clear up. If I hadn't of brought my rent and some spending money in cash i would have been screwed. visa doesn't have an office in amsterdam but amex did so I was also able to get a one time $500 emergency travelers advance from them. They took it straight out of my checking account with no charge..

if ur not going until after the summer it MAY be better to exchange then.......the euro kicks the usd's ass every summer.

 

I'm friggin paranoid when it comes to travelling abroad and not
having any means of getting money in emergencies. I always
stash one credit card under the carpet in my hotel and carry
another one as well as an ATM card.
Went once with a mate and his ATM card didn't work in any of
the banks so I had to pay for his entire holiday which was a bit
of a pain but if he was on his own he would have been seriously
screwed.

 

Okay now I'm thinking I should bring more cash. Y'all are scaring me lol
I was only going to bring enough USD's to get there and back (layovers, etc...) and use my ATM card for funds there. Now I'm thinking I should bring cash, but where is the best place (rate wise) to exchange cash from the U.S.???

Peace,
islandgurl

 

I usually take about €200 in cash myself then I use ATM's,
but it always amazes me every time I travel to mainland Europe
I seem to accumulate a ridiculous amount of loose coins in my
pocket and nowhere to spend it. Does'nt happen as much in the
UK with the British pound for some reason.
As long as your ATM card have those worldwide symbols on it
that match the symbols on the machine you will have no problems.
My mates ATM card didn't but credit cards do, no worries.

 

an alternative is to take some travellers cheques as there called in the uk may be different in the us.
there are loads of kiosks to exchange them around the city.
be warned different kiosks offer different rates of exchange and take a commission and if you dont use them all on one trip they stay valid for another.
in the uk you can buy them at the post office not sure about us.
i think you can buy them in euros inthe uk and just cash them at the exchange kiosks.

 

Don't be afraid, the machines there work like the ones here. No biggie at all. Just remember when you take 200E out it will take about $240 out of your bank account because of the exchange rate.

 

yeah....look at the back of your atm card and it will have "compatible systems" listed on it like

cirrus
plus
star
etc

cirrus cards tend to have NO PROBLEMS while plus cards have them more frequently. Just make sure you don't try to withdraw money from an atm that is incompatible with your card. It will wind up telling you your pin is incorrect and you will wind up putting it in again because you know its right. Then after 3 times it will lock your account....

 

Mine says both plus and star... should I just take cash? Makes me more nervous to think I can't get money when I need it than it does to think about losing it because I'm good not losing things (famous last words lol)

 

If you're that concerned you can always take your card and your passport to an actual bank teller at Schipol or in town and get your euro cash sans the ATM.

I know how you feel wantin' to have all your bases covered. The points being brought up are valid, but not neccessarily the norm.

When we arrived recently, none of the ATM's at Schipol were accepting non-Netherlands cards. We went to the ABN/AMRO Tellers and they were able to swipe the cards manually along with our passports for ID. We got our euros and were on our way.

Thankfully the ATM's were working once we got into town but had they not I would've gone straight to the bank office and dealt with it.

Life will be grande!

 

Hello, I work for a large bank in the bank card division. Your ATM card will be fine.

 

Thank you SP Is there a difference in ATM's that you get it out of or do they all charge the same? Usually there's a fee from your bank but also the ATM, at least that's what I encountered in Jamaica.

Peace,
islandgurl

 

All ATM's in Europe are free. My bank charges $5.00 when I use my American ATM card in a foreign ATM, so I always withdraw the maximum amount which is 300 to 500 Euro in most cases. Two things to remember. Look for the Cirrus or Plus sign which 99% of them have. And be sure to contact your bank and make it clear to them that you will be using your card for large withdrawals internationally. Make it CLEAR to them. Maybe even call a second time to make sure they have noted your account. I don't even call anymore, and never have a problem. It's not a bad idea to have the phone number to your bank and a credit card for back up, but it is not mandatory by any means.